Mining-machine.



E. L. HOPKINS.

MINING MACHINE. 4 APPucmou man suma. 1913. nznewm ocT. 21. um.

Patented 4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ai. HOPKINS.

MNING MACHINE. Armcmon FILED SEPTA?, 1913. mzniwn oc. 21. 1917.

1,249,,1OO; Pai-@med Dec. 11, i1917.

E. L. HOPKINS.

MINING MALCHINE. E APPLICATION UMD SPT-, |913. RENEVIED 00T. 27, |911. 1,249,400. Patented 11, 1917.

4 SHFETS-SHEET 3.

filth/mul MINING MACHINE.

4 illustrate a peferre vUNITED srnrns PATENT, OFFICE.;

EDWARD L. HOPKINS, or oomrMIms, OHIO. nssIcirIoIt` To THE JEFFREY MANUFAC- TUBING com PANY, or coLUMBUs, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

MINING-MACHINE.

Amilieation led September 9. 1913, Serial No.. i788. 853.

To'aZZw/'wmz't may concern.' l 4. Be it known that I, EDWARD L. llorKINs. ai citizen of the United States, resldlng at (,l91-uir1bl1s,` in the county of Franklilu and Stat/enf iOhio, `have. invented certain ne\v-- and useful Improvements 1n Mining-Mm.

chines,.'of' which the following is a specitication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

'1l-he inventionrelates 'to sidecutting nuning machines and especially to machines of 'thlsclass u hich are ada-ptedfor use, inv room and pillar mining- One object ofthe invention is the vprovision of la machine of this character capable. of 'cutting either to- Wardrtherightortoward the left. ILfur-f ther object offtheinvention is the provision `0f improved 'cable feed devices. The invention has for another' object ythe improvement 'ofthe bed" Aframe of the machineb' i .1: In the accompapyfrng' drawlngsg. which l `form of construction embodying'thejnvention, Y Figure. l is alnnview of the machine;v Fig. 2 'is Vade t chine; Fig. 3l is a vertical transverse section through the `cutter frame;

. .Fig. .4 is an enlarged vertlcal transverse sectionon the 1ine 4 -4 of Flg. 1; iFig.A 5 `is a Vvertical lon itudmal Sectio takenfon the line,- 5-5OfVFI`gz 1; .Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical transverse section oI1.tl-1e'line`6.6 of Figjl;

. Fig 7 is an enlarged .vertical longitudinal section' through the main shaft of the change ed-gearing, the lsection being taken along 'q EigLLS isa simarsection through the countershaft of?, the ,change speed ,gearing taken on the line 8;-8 of Fig. 1; y

9"is` anouter end-elevation of the retardingldrum Ffg.y lOyisa rear sideelevation' of the re- .tarding drum;

'FigallisA avertibal longltudlnal sectlon through theaxisy of the retarding drum;

Fig. `12 is a-diagrammatic view showing the' machine at the beginning of the entering or sumping cut adjacent the right rib of a mine room; l

Fig. 13 isa similar viewshowin the machine whenthe sumping out is partlally completed@ Y 1 Eiggplll is a similar view showlng the maside elevation of the ma.

nenewedoctober 27, 1917. serial No. 195,598.

chine at the end of the sumping cut and ready `to start a side `cut toward the left alongthe tace of the coal;

` 'Fjg. 15 isa diagrammatic view showing` the machine during the operation of undercutting toward the left along the face of the coa Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic view showing the machine at the beginning of a sumping cuil adjacent the left rib of a mine room; an

Fig. 17 is a. diagrammaticview showing the. machine\during the operation of under cutting.. toward the right along the face of `thecoal.

" The/machine comprises a bed. frame, a

, cutting apparatus which projects from the inner end of the bed frame, propelling and -jguiding devices mounted on the bed frame,

f and-suitable'driving connections between 7E. the motor andpropell-ing devices and betiveel'i themmotor and cutting devices, re-.

spectirely.

Referring i bottoml plate 1, preferably metal, and a to plate'2 having depend-ing side walls El whlch are formed' at their bottom edges with flanges which rest upon and are secured, as by rivets, to thc bottom plate 85 form a longitudinal slot, andV thesesides are made up of top plates 5. bottom' plates 8 and intermediate spaced' bars 7 which are secured together in any suitable manner, as' 05 by rivetsf(see Fig. 3). lThe .space between" the outer edges-of theplates -5 and 6 forms .a guide for-a cutter chain formedv between' theV inner edges of the., G and these ways are adapted' 1'00 9. Ways are alsj to lit/orar an `.ed projections formedgon depending brackets 10 and 11 carried bythe top plate of the bed frame.. The sides of the cutter frame are connected at their frontends by suitable upper and lower p1ates.1 2 '10l5` are mounted a and 13 between which sprocket wheel 14 over' which the cutter chain passes. At theoutcr end ofthe cut-ter frame the cutter chain passes over a sprocket wheel 15 which is loosely mountedon an 110 flldefil t0 the construction i. i

illustrated, thefbed frame is composed'of a 80 `ofrolled 'plate upright shaft 16. This shaft has its lower end mounted on the bottom plate 1 of the bed frame and is preferably secured to the bottom plate by means of a base casting 17 riveted to said plate, the casting having an -aperture in which the shaft is tightly fitted.

The shaft 16 can be given further support in the manner indicated in Fig. 2 which shows the inotor-presently to be de* scribedhaving `its frame metal formed with a socket to receive the upper end of the shaft.

The cutter chain 9 can be of any desired construction as far as some features of my invention are concerned, but to make it possible to readily change the machine so that it will cut toward the right instead of toward the left, or vice versa, I construct the chain in such a way that the bits can be reversed in their sockets topermit the driving of the cutter chain in either direction. Referring to Fig.' l it will be noted that the links 9a of the chain have the sockets for the bits 9" formed at right angles to the axis of the chain. Hence, when -it is desired to reverse the travel ofl the chain, it is only necessary to loosen the bits, withdraw them 'and insert them again in reversed position.

The machine is designed to be propelled along the face of the coal during the cutting operation by a cable or the like, and upon the inner -end of the bed frame is mounted a winding drum 18. A. suitable draft cable 19 has one end secured to the winding drumA so that it lcan be wound upon the drum in either direction, the flange of the drum being formed with an aperture at 18 for the 'secured end of the cable that permits said cable end to swing, as indicated in Fig. 4, so that the winding can be started in either direction. Furthermore, the machine is designed so thai.v the cable 19 can be led off from the under side of the drum; either toward the left or toward the right, according to the direction in which it is wound on the drum, the bed frame being provided at each side of the drum with a set of guide sheaves for the cable. These two sets of guidedevices are similar in all respects so that one description will apply to both. There are two horizontally arranged sheaves 20 and 21 having their peripheries spaced just far enough apart to permit the cable to pass between them easily, and adjacent these sheaves is an elongated roller 22 which '-1 the-cable passcs'over as it emerges from betweenvthe sheaves 20 and 21. The sheaves 20 and 21 are mounted on upright studs 23 and 24, respectively, and are secured by a plate 25 and Cotter pins 2G. The roller 22 is mounted on a pin 27 which is carried by brackets or lugs 28 .side of the bed -frame.

lt will be seen`that the feed cable, when it is passed bet-Ween the guide sheaves and projecting from the over the roller, can be deflected downward,v

or inward along the cutter fraaie or outward tudinally disposed shaft 29. This shaft is supported at its outer end by a bearing 30 of ordinary construction carried by the bed frame, and at its inner end by a bearing lwhich is carried by an upward buffer extension 32 formed on the inner end of the top plate 2 of the bed frame. The buier 32 is disposed across the end of the bed frame and is rounded off somewhat at its ends as shown in Fig. 1. The buffer consists of a lowerv main art 32a which is preferably cast in one wit the top `plate of the bed frame, and an upper detachable pai-t 32b which is bolted to the lower part. The di* vision between the lower and upper parts of the buffer is in a plane through the center of the bearing 31 so that the upper part of the buler constitutes in effect the cap of said bearino'.

The winding drum 18 is mounted loosely on the' shaft 29 adjacent a large spur gear 33 which is fast on said shaft. lThe drum is disengageably connected with the gear' wheel and shaft by means of a clutch comprising a ring 18b slidably-mounted on the hub of the drum, and a series of pins 18 carried by the ring and arranged to extend through holes formed in the web of the drum 18 and in the web of the gear 33. By shifting the clutch ring on the hub of the drum, the pins are withdrawn from engage-' ment with the gear, whereupon the dru in is free to turn upon the shaft.

34 is an electric motor mounted on the outer end of tliebed frame with its arma-- ture shaft arranged longitudinally upon the machine. This motor, as to details of construction, may be ofanypreferred form but should be capableof being reversed so that it' can be driven in either direction. 35 indicates a reversing switch for this purpose.

The motor is designed'to-drive the winding druni 18 and the cutter chain 9. Any suit` able torni of transmission gearing can, be

provided between the motor and winding ings and V46 on the top plate of the bed' frame. At its inner end the shaft 44'passes through a sleeve 47, which is supported in the bearing 46, and carries at one end a pinion 48 and at its other end a gear 49.- l50 is a pinion loosely mounted on the shaft44 adjacent the bearing 45. '51is a clutch block slidably splined on the shaft 44 and arranged between the gear 49 and the pinion 50, said gear and piniony carryin clutch teeth 49* and V50, respectively7 w ich cooperatewith the teeth of the clutch block 51'. A suitable hand lever 52 is provided' to shift the clutch 51 on the shaft 44. When the clutch is in'the position shown in Fig. 1, the pinions 48 and 50 and the gear 49 all turn freely on the shaft 44, but by shift-ing the clutch into engagement with the gear 49, the latter and the pinion 48 are caused to rotate with the shaft, and by shifting the clutch into engagementv with the pinion the latter is caused to rotatewith the shaft while the pinion 48 and gear 49 turn freely thereon.

A. countershaft 5 3 is mounted parallel to the shaft 44 in a Vsuitable bearing 54on the top plate of the bed frame. .At its outer end the shaft 53 carries a gear 55 that meshes with the gear 50, and at its inner end it carries a pinion 56 that meshes with the gear The pinion 48 meshes with the spur gear 33 which is secured to the winding drum will be driven through the countershaft 53 at a'low speed, and when the clutch 51 is thrown into engagement with the gear 49, the countershaft will run idle and the drum will be driven at afhigh s eed. The

1 motor is, of course,jdisconnecte from the drum v18 when the clutch 51 is in its inter mediate position.

is apinion 58 Whichis fast on the shaft 38 For the dr1ving of the cutter chain there andi which meshes with a gear 59 which is moimted concentric with thesprocket wheel 15 iiind scribed l. l lig is connected thereto by 4a suitable against. the cutters is such that the outer end of the machine tends to swing forward more ra idly than the inner end of the bed frame a vances. To prevent this and maintain the machine at a pro er Workin an le to the face of the coal, rovide t e, o1- Alowin deviees. 60 is'fa cabllzlJ windin drum rotata ly mounted on a bracket 614W ich is secured to the frame of the motor 34. 62 is a retarding cable which has one end connected to the winding drum 60 and is adapt ed to be extended rearward andtoxhave its I other end connected to a suitable abutment, such as a jack. In mounting the drum 60 I provide a journal or stud shaft 63' which is carried by the bracket 61 and which 'fits the bore of the hub of the drum. A screw bolt 64 serves to hold the drum inposition on its shaft. i

To control the paying out of the retarding cable as the machine moves along the face of the coal, I provide the drum 60 with a friction brake by means of which any desired amount of -resistance may be opposed to the rotation of the drum. The drum is formed on its inner side with an annular rim 65 and upon the'cylindrical outer surface of the rim is mounted a brake band 66. 'Clamping lugs 67 and 68 are rivetedy or otherwise suitably secured to the respective ends of the brake band. These lugs are perforated to receive a clamping bolt or screw 69 and the lug 68 is slotted to receive anut `70.v This nut, when the parts are in posi- 'tion as shown in 'Fi 9 andlO, engages the bottom of the slot vormed in the'lug 68 so that itcannot turn. By turnin the bolt 69 one wa'y 0r the other, the Vbra ce band can therefore be tightened or loosened as desired.

A handle 71 is pivotally secured to the end of the bolt 69, and by means ofthis handle a partial rotationof the'holt can be made, and then by swinging the vhandle-on its pivot, the ,turning movement can be contnued. The lug 67 is formed with-averti# cal extension or flange 67'* which is a r tured so as to pass over a cylindrical oss 72 on the bracket 61, vand the brake bandis thus prevented from beingbodily displaced.

In addition to the friction brake I provide apositive lock for the drum- 60. '-A locking pin 73 is s lidably mountedin. the bracl 6 1, as shown in Figs; 9 land 1(), in positi to'engage any one of a cries of holes 4 formed in the adjacent fac of the drum 60 'or ofr\its extension 65:. .The is p ivot. ally connected to a ha fd lever\`75" by' means of which it can be readily moved intoV and out'oflocking position.

It will beseen that the cable 62 is made fast to an an heringdevice and thelrale balid is suitab y adjusted, a-retard-ing .force isV applied to the `outer end -of the machingwhlch serves-"to balance the reaction of the vcoal on the cutiso ters, and that this retarding force may be varied as'desired by adjusting the brake hand to vary the resistance to the rotation of the drum 60 as it pays out .the retarding cable 62. y.

At "arious points on the bed frame of the machine I provide idler guide sheaves over whichth'e feed cable l!) can be -passed'in various ways when it is desired to move the n'iac'hine about over the tloor of the mine by its own power.

bed frame I mount a sheave -T .and on the right side a similar sheave TT.. and on thc outer end of the bed frame I mount sheaves 78. 79 and S0.

The operation ot the machine will now be readily understood. The machine. on being brought into the mine room. is nnloaded from tlietgruclc and brought to the t'ace ot' the coal near one ot' the ribs.

suming that it desiredto'have the machine cntA from right to left. the machine would be brorght. to the t'ace adjacent the right rili as shown in Fig. 1;. The til-st operation ordinarily is the nniking ot' the sumping cnt h v thrusting the cutting apparatus eli'dwise *into the coal.- Iu doing this the machine m t be ruided and thiscan be donc in vari- The method indicated iii tht` .drawings involves the use ot' a jack S1 which is passed through the longitudinal slot in the cutter frame with its lower end engaging the Hoor and its upper end engaging the root' 'of the mine. This jack' having been set as indicated in Fig. 12. the t'eed cable 1S) is passed outward. 'over the guide sheaves 7S.

- 79 and S0 and -tlieilccinivard andto a -jaclt to` which its end i.: secured. The motor having be'cn started and the cutters' thrown into operation. the clutch 51 is thrown into engagement with the pinion 50. thus driving the cutters and turning the winding drum 1S at slow speed. The tension on the cable 1D draws the machine inward against the coal, forcing the cutterframe underthe coal as the latter y is cut away. Thefcomhined action of the cablev tension and reactionot' the cutters as" the entering cut begins, is to throw l. the inner end of the cutter Aframe to the right and the outer end 'to the lett'. This action is 'counteracted b 'V` the guiding ettect of .thev jack 81 and the rdraft of the cableon the ofthe bed frame of I outer right hand corner the machine. md

When the machine has been advanced fully under the coal. the cable is disengaged from the jack S2 and stretched along the t'ace to the left `rib Where it is made fastto an ,anchor or jack S3. the winding drum 1S having' irst been freed from its shat't 29 by disengaging the clutch 18"--18c so that the cable can easily be unWound. Next. theretarding cable 62 is'rnade. t'ast vto .the jack. S2 and the-machine isagain started. At the 65 beginning ofthe side cut, the outer winding On the letty side ot' thedrum 60 is ylocked fast either by means of the t'rlction brake or by means of the lock p pin 73. thus making the outer end of ,the machine a pivot point, whilethe cutter bar' is swung forward by the winding np of the 'drum is removed and the friction brake set sogthat it will allow the drum to pay ont 75 the cable 62 under a suitable resistance to maintain the machine at the proper angle to the coal face as the undercut proceeds. As the machine moves along the face, the bner 32 engages the face of the coal and prevents 80 the bed frame from binding inthe edge of the kerf or from being obstructed by reason ot' the uneven character otl the coal face.

As the nn'dercntting lproceeds along the faceot' the coal. the nature of the material' 85 encountered b v the cutters may vary from` time'to time thus varying the resistanceto the advance of the machine. It'v softer material is encoinitered. the reaction on the cutters is less and the retarding action of the drnln on the outer end of the machine may be too great. while it'A harder material is encountered. the reaction on the cutters being increased. the retarding'force on the outer end of the machine will be insufficient, and it will tend to swing forward too rap-l 4 idly. All of these Val-ving conditions are" readily met b v the machine runner-'by means ot' t-he control devices associated with the -retarding drum 60. By simply adjusting` the 10U 'tain it inthe desired angular relation to brake band 66. he is enabled to decrease and increase' the resistance to the rotation of the drum at will. Vhensofter material is en countered. he can' diminish thetension of the brake band. and'when harder material is 10:

encountered. the tension ofthe brake bandl can be increased: and thus the machine can be swung from time to time so as to mainthe coal face.

Obstructions. such as sulfur balls, or the like. are sometimes encountered which it is desirable to cnt over by guiding the machine upward on skids and blocks and then downward again to the normal-level. 'My im- 11;

proved cable guide, 'devicesy are very advanta'geous in this connection*` t'oravhen the machine has benthus guided upward. it.' can be detiected downward-'again by thepositive draft of the propelling cable 19 exerted 120 on the roller makeadeqnate provision for this'pnrpose.

vhen the undercut. is'com-pleted. the cable 69 is wound upon its d runl 60. and the cable 19, having been disengaged from the jack 83, 1 25 is earriedto some point adjacent the truck where. it is desired to reload the machine and there made fast to an anchor or jack.` gn thus ertending the cable rearward. it ispassed overtheguide sheaves in such mini l.1:30

yQ2; I believe lI am the first to ner as to give a desired line of draft on the machine. In thus moving the machine about in the room, the clutch 51 is thrown so as to drive the drum 18 at its higher speed which is more suitable for this purpose than the lower speed.

In Figs. 16 and -17 I have shown my improved machine when cutting from left to right. -To change themachiiie for this purpose, it is only necessary to reverse the cuttcr bits in their sockets in the manner previously described, rewind the feed cable 19.

in the opposite direction on its drum '1,8 and 'carry it oli| to the right between the guide sheaves 20 and 21 on the right side of the machine, rewind-ing the retarding cable (3Q in the; opposite direction, and throw the' V ends connected to the winding. druin and being `adapted to bewoiind thereon in either' direction, idler guide means at cach side 'of th'c bedframe near the inner end thereof over 'which the propelling cable can be passed and caused to exert a draft either towardtlie right or toward the left on the inner-.end of the bed frame, a inotor on thebed frame to drive the Said windil'ig drum and the cutting apparatus, means for revers- 4ing the direction in which the winding) drum and cutting apparatus are driven y the motor, and means adapted to exert a retarding draft dn' the outer-end of the bed frame elther toward the left or toward the right.

2. .Ina mining machine, the combination 'of a bed frame, cutting apparatus having reversible cutters pro ecting from the inner end thereof, a win ing druni on the bed frame, a. propelling cable having one of'its ends connected to the winding drum and being adapted to be wound thereon in leither direction, idler guide ni'eans' at each side of the bed frame near tlieinner end thereof over which the propelling cable can be passed and caused to exert a draft either toward the right or toward the `left on theinner end offthe ybed frame, a motor on the bed frame `to drive the said winding drum and the cutting apparatus, means ,for re- .versing the `direction in which the winding drum, and'l cutting apparatus are driven by the motor, and guide devices comprising a retardingcable adapted lto be :extended either toward theleft or toward the right from the outer`end of the bed frame and the machine advances.

3. In a mining machine, the combination of a bed frame having an upstanding buffer extensionacross the inner end, saidiextension being Vformed in two separable parts, cutting apparatus projecting from the'inner end oi the bed frame, means comprising a cable winding drum for ropelling the machine along the face of tlie coal, a shaft on which said drum is mounted, and bearing supports for said shaft one of which is lformed partly in onepart and partly in the otherpart of the said buffer extension.

In testimony whereof, I ailix my signature, 'in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARDL. HOPKINS. Witnesses:

d. l?. SNIVELY,

DUDLEY T. FISHER.

' means for paying' out the retarding cable as 

